


Rattle Your Chains If You Love Being Free

by feralwillgrhm



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bullying, Enemies to Lovers, Hannibal is an asshole I'm sorry, Hate Sex, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mentions of Cancer, Minor Character Death, Sexual Tension, Strippers & Strip Clubs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:16:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28796754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feralwillgrhm/pseuds/feralwillgrhm
Summary: Will is a well-established stripper at a club in Wolf Trap. He enjoys his job as it helps distract him from his daily life where it is everything but fine. He's worked there for years and is comfortable; his boss his great and co-workers are supportive. So when an incident brings a new face to the club, Will's world is turned upside down.Will and Hannibal Lecter have a history which Will has kept buried until now, and things between them become turbulent.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 14
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> So this is my first chaptered fic and I'm really looking forward to putting it out there! I'm posting the chapters as I write them, so the upload schedule may be all over the place (apologies in advance!)
> 
> I will update the tags as I go and will pre-warn when certain tags come up in certain chapters just in case. It may get quite dark at points, just so you know. 
> 
> In this chapter there is implied rape. 
> 
> I appreciate any and all support as this will be the longest fic I commit to as of yet! <3

Will Graham liked his job. Hell, he’d sometimes go so far to say he loved it. The attention, all eyes on him, feeling like he was the most important person in the room. He was disinterested in all other aspects of his life as he had no interests and not many friends, but as soon as he got to work, he was appreciated for his work ethic and what he brought to the place. 

Wet Wolf Trap was a strip club in the middle of town, and pretty sleazy as far as strip clubs go and the spectators that came and went. The majority were middle-aged business men looking to blow their cash because they had a failed marriage and nothing else in life. Will was one of the strippers that they fawned over and threw their dollars at, salivating at the mouths. 

Will landed this job straight out of high school because he had nothing else. He felt like a burden to his family because he didn’t have any ambitions, didn’t gain any notable grades at school and pretty much set himself up for failure. 

The club welcomed him with open arms, noticing that some of his prominent features and his build would bring good money to the club. The other strippers helped him come up with a name and so he came to be known as Peaches & Cream. His ass was one of his prominent features.

The crowd always goes wild for his booty shorts and seductive pole dancing, showing off his lean body and teasing them by waving his ass in their faces. From the beginning he had a spark and the boss of the club, Mark, decided he would be one of the “big acts” each night he was working. Will felt validated because of this, and became comfortable in his job quite quickly. 

He’s been working at Wet Wolf Trap for 4 years now and seen many strippers come and go, but he’s always been a constant there. Will has a good relationship with Mark and some of the regular customers who do actually have some respect. 

It was Friday night, the busiest night of the week for them as the regulars were ready to unwind from their stressful week of yelling at employees and screaming down the phone. 

Will arrived at work, feeling even more exhausted as this was his 6th night in a row. 

“Hey Will. How’s your mum getting on?” Mark caught him as he was about to step into the dressing room. 

“She’s okay. They haven’t noticed any changes so she isn’t getting any worse or any better. She didn’t really have the energy to speak to me today though, so I just held her hand as we watched TV.” 

“I’m sorry, Will. I hope she gets better. Have you slept since last night’s shift?” 

Will shook his head. He could feel the tiredness behind his eyes and the dark circles under them probably gave it away too. “My brain just wouldn’t give in last night.” 

“Well, please get as much sleep as you can on your couple of days off. We don’t want you dropping on stage.” Mark joked. 

“I will, promise.” He slinked inside the dressing room which was empty. Will was usually early as he enjoyed taking his time to get ready and look his best. 

“Are those new shorts? You look great, Will!” Laura, one of his close co-workers in the club strolled into the dressing room. He was wearing a pink pair of tight shorts with the word “SLUT” splayed across the back. He shook his bum teasingly at her. 

“Thanks, Loz. How were your days off?” 

“Oh, the same old shit. Cleaned up after my disgusting boyfriend, restocked the fridge, argued with my mom over the phone as she begged me for more money. Why does she think she can live off of me when I’ve got my own fucking problems? Honestly.” 

“I’m sorry, Laura. Parents can get a bit too much, huh?” 

“Yeah…” She trailed off, not wanting to bring up his mom. Laura unpacked her make-up and outfits for the night, as well as a few caffeinated drinks. No shift was complete without them. 

The two other girls on shift that night strayed in, the set-up for the night complete. Will was usually the only male ever on a shift, and kept till last because of electricity he created in the room and the crowd drooling over him. 

Everyone never had a hair out of place and there wasn’t a part of them that wasn’t fake tanned. Will’s skin was always golden and radiant, sparkling under the lights as he danced. Sometimes he seemed ethereal. Maybe that was the real money maker. 

“Make those dirty old men pay tonight, okay?” Mark came to check on them, making sure they were all show-ready. He seemed a bit off; looking pale and on-edge, but that could be anything, so Will never thought to question it. 

“I’m sure Will with his slut shorts will have them dropping to their knees. Who could resist that?” Abigail, one of the newer additions to the club remarked. 

“Not before they drop for you first.” Will smirked. 

10pm rolled on and they could hear rowdy voices drift from the seating lounge already. The guys were probably on their third or fourth beer, downing it like it was juice to drown the thoughts from their miserable lives outside of the club. 

Laura was the first to go on, in her neon lingerie which seemed to be the favourite. A collective cheer erupted as she stepped on stage. 

Whilst the solo shows went on, the other strippers were usually booked up for private shows in the back rooms. Will came to work each day with the mindset of offering his services again, but the fear would wash over him quickly and he’d back out. 

He used to do them fairly regularly from when he started working at Wet Wolf Trap; at least 3 or 4 per night for a couple of years and the clients always complied with the rules. No touching. Ever. There would always be serious consequences if they didn’t, but one client didn’t seem to care about the aftermath. 

Will didn’t notice there was something odd with the man until it was too late. He was a lot bigger and stronger than him, pinning him down against the worn couch whilst it muffled Will’s pleads for help. 

Security barged in when the man was on top of Will, and just laughed as he was dragged from the room. Will would never forget the crazed look on the man’s face, etched to his brain and it did haunt him for a long while after the incident. 

He considered quitting the job after taking a week off, but it was his only steady income and his mom’s medical bills were piling up. Mark did everything he could to make sure he felt safe enough returning to work, and with the help of his co-workers, he did start to enjoy it again even though it took a while. 

The trauma would never leave, and the police didn’t do much to help because they didn’t give shit, but he appreciated the lengths his boss and workmates went to. 

“You okay, Will?” Bella piped in, snapping Will out of his daze. 

“Yeah, sorry. I’m just fucking exhausted. I haven’t slept in like 36 hours.” He looked at her through the mirror, the light highlighting the bags under his eyes even though he’d doused them in concealer. 

“Fuck. You’re off tomorrow though, yeah? You can only do this for so long before it catches up to you and you just keel over. I’ve been there.” 

“Thankfully, yeah. It’s just the worry about my mom as well, it keeps me up. I- Sorry. I don’t want to make things depressing. What a way to kill the energy.” 

“It’s okay, sweetie. We can’t keep things bottled in. You can talk to me anytime, yeah?" She came over to him and hugged him from behind, draping her arms over his front. 

“Thank you. God where would I be without you lot?” 

“Crash and burn, sweetie, you’d crash and burn. You still not ready to see some of your own clients yet?” 

Will shook his head and Bella gave him a sympathetic look before heading out to see her first client of the night. 

Will took his time in the empty dressing room to stretch himself out as some of the moves he brought to the pole were ambitious - hanging upside doing and doing the splits. He made it look so easy, bending and flexing, revelling in the wolf whistles that were thrown his way. 

He could easily come to work later instead of hanging around, but he never enjoyed his own company in his loney apartment. He found himself stuck with his own thoughts and they could get destructive at times. He would rather be here, around people where he felt appreciated. 

He felt particularly giving that night; he brought along a jewelled butt plug that would look good nestled between his cheeks and teasing the crowd with it. 

Pulling his shorts down, he took a couple of lubed up fingers and worked himself open slowly, groaning at the contact. He may get a lot of attention here, but outside, relationships were pretty much non-existent. It’s not that he didn’t want to, but he didn’t have the time or energy and had been repeatedly screwed over in the past. 

Thrusting two fingers in and out, he felt the lube trickle down to his balls. The friction was good but he couldn’t get carried away here. He loved showing off the hard line of his erect cock under the shorts, so he didn’t want to ruin that. 

Pushing the plug to his hole, it took it in easily and felt snug. He turned to admire it in the mirror and watched how the light made it sparkle. Pretty, he thought. 

“Are you ready, Will? It’s Peaches & Cream time!” Mark called. 

“Course I’m ready to shake my ass!” He strapped on his pink heels and strutted out to the wings, waiting for his music cue. 

The lights went down and a slow bass started, the crowd whistling and cheering. Will always got a rush of adrenaline at this point in the night; the anticipation of gracing the stage and being showered in dollar bills. 

He walked to the stage on beat and the horny men erupted, already throwing their wages at him. Will winked at them and playfully shook his ass before circling the pole and using his body weight to twirl around it. It was something he could do with his eyes closed if he wanted to; an expert at working the pole. 

Will then knelt to the floor, crawling on his hands and knees seductively towards the front of the stage, making sure to stick his ass out as much as he could. He mouthed along to the slowed down version of Toxic that was playing, maintaining eye contact with some of the eager beavers at the front. They were almost panting at the mouths at the delicious sight in front of him. 

He turned the opposite way, lying on his back and feeling himself up, exaggerating when he got to his cock in his shorts. He loved the fact that they could only watch and not touch. The teasing was his favourite part of it. 

Will got into it so much, just like he did every other night, the money flowing onto the stage. No wonder Mark loved him so much. 

Will’s set usually lasted around an hour, which was enough for him because by the end it was like a full-blown workout, sweating from every pore. He saves getting naked for the last 10 minutes, being the real tease of the night. 

He inches his shorts down bit by bit before whipping them off completely, exposing his round ass. The crowd got even louder, flinging their beer around as Peaches & Cream revealed his peaches. 

He bent over, showing off his plug and the shower of money came once again. Will went back to the pole and threw himself around it. His cock stood up against his stomach and he knew all eyes were on it. Will didn’t have to be hard for his shows, but again, the attention was fucking great. 

The lights went down when his set was over and he strutted off, letting the employees gather up the cash for him. 

Will came off stage panting and grabbed a robe to cover himself up modestly. The girls cheered when he came back into the dressing room. 

“You big fat slut, the plug was a nice touch!” Exclaimed Laura, grinning at him.  
“Oh you know, I like to give them a piece of everything. Another successful night for you all?” They all gave a collective nod which was good. There was nothing worse than a dry night.

Mark came along with his earnings for the night, which was a nice stack even after deductions. “They were very generous tonight Will and I could see why. Nice one. Now you get yourself home and sleep like the dead. You deserve it.” 

“Thanks Mark. I’ll see you on Monday.” Will smiled and felt the tiredness weigh down on his whole body. Nothing seemed better than his warm inviting bed right now. 

He collapsed into his car after greeting goodbye to everyone, happy with what he earned tonight. The majority of it would go towards his mom’s medical bills even though she insisted that he should spend some on himself, apart from it going towards rent and food. Savings weren’t really a thing at the moment for him. 

He always shrugged it off, saying that his mom’s life was more important, even though he didn’t really have anything to help set him up for the future. He’d worry about that later. 

In the early afternoon after his late night, Will was rudely awakened by his phone blaring in his ear. He grumbled before picking it up, seeing Laura’s name flash across the screen. Weird. She never called him. 

“Hello?” His voice gravelly, thick with sleep. 

“Hey, Will. Sorry to probably wake you like this. I don’t suppose you’ve heard?”

He rubbed his eyes, he had no idea what she was talking about. “Heard? Heard what?” 

“It’s Mark… he got caught up in a drugs bust in the early hours this morning. I haven’t heard any other details but it’s bad. He won’t be back.” 

“Fuck. I knew he seemed a bit off yesterday but god, I wasn’t expecting that. Do you know if there’s any sign of a replacement?”

“Oh, they were quick on that. I’ve never heard of him, his name is Hannibal Lecter.” 

Will bolted upright. Did he hear that right? “Sorry, did you say Hannibal Lecter?” 

“Yeah. Is something wrong Will?” There was a hint of concern in her voice. He swallowed, throat going tight. 

“No, no, it’s fine. I think I just knew the guy from school. Thanks for letting me know Laura, I’ll see you soon.” He ended the call and threw his phone across the bed. 

Out of all the people, why Hannibal? He would’ve taken anyone but him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go:  
> Cue Hannibal Lecter the asshole.

Will took another visit to the hospital, not getting his hopes up that his mom had improved. He had learned very quickly that it never worked out when he’d expected it to. She was diagnosed with leukemia not long after Will left high school and was lucky enough to go into remission, but unfortunately the cancer came back and it was more aggressive, so this meant more aggressive means of treating it. The drugs left her ill and she didn’t have much energy at all. 

He stepped into the ward and saw that she was sitting up, which was a nice change. Sometimes she wouldn’t even have the energy to do that. 

“Hey, mom. How are you feeling?” Will settled a little fruit basket and potted plant on the table beside her to make the area look a bit more inviting. 

“I’m okay.” She croaked. “I feel like there’s a little more life in me today. You look worried. What’s on your mind?” Will rolled his eyes. She could always pick up if he seemed off; she could spot the tiniest of things. 

“I’m alright, mom. I just did 6 shifts in a row, so I’m feeling a bit busted at the moment.” 

“You always work too hard, sweetie. What did I do to deserve you? There’s something else going on though, I can see it.” 

Will gave a sympathetic smile. “Well we’ve got a new boss that I haven’t met yet… and I know him. I’m anxious about meeting him because Mark was always so kind to me, so things might be different at work. I liked how it was.” 

She reached out to take his hand. “I’m sorry, Will. I can only hope that this guy will be nice too. I guess things regarding Mark aren’t good?” 

Will shook his head. He’d never told his mom what Hannibal was like to him when he was in high school, and the memories that came seeping back were what made him so nervous about meeting him again. Surely he would have matured over the years but Will could never be too sure. 

They spent the rest of the visiting hour chatting idly and it was nice. His mom has a smile which was refreshing and it improved his mood seeing her like this. He just prayed that there would be more promising signs of a second recovery, as it would lift a huge weight off of his shoulders. 

Will kissed her cheek goodbye, leaving her to binge another silly soap opera that she was infatuated with. 

Monday rolled by and Will was left pacing his living room, probably annoying the downstairs neighbour. He shouldn’t be this nervous about meeting Hannibal for the first time in years, but here he was, a jittery mess. 

As a boy he caused Will a lot of trauma, making his high school experience hell, but people change, right? He tried to convince himself that this would be applicable for Hannibal, despite the fact he was one of the worst people he came to know. If this man started ruining his work life as well, he wouldn’t know what to do. Everything else was a mess and it would be the tip on the iceberg.

“Come on, Will. Get a grip and face this man.” He gathered up his stuff for the night and shoved it into his bag. His eyes strayed across the room towards a bottle of vodka. A couple of swigs wouldn’t hurt. Something to dampen the nerves. He winced as the liquid burned his throat, and on impulse shoved the bottle into his bag. It would be a last resort. 

He drove to Wet Wolf Trap slowly on purpose and his stomach lurched when it came into sight. However, the sooner the first encounter was out of the way, the better. Or so he thought. 

Will stepped into the empty club. It was eerily silent with no one in sight. He avoided the office, heading straight for the dressing room to lay all of his things out. He was debating checking the office out, but decided it would be better if Hannibal came and sought out him instead. If he cared.

A knock at the door made his heart leap into his throat. 

“Hello?” Will called out, staring at the door as it slowly opened. 

The man who appeared was not the Hannibal Lecter that he remembered. The Hannibal he remembered from school was rough-looking, longer hair and didn’t have much style about him. He just wanted that intimidating look which definitely came across, especially to Will. 

This Hannibal looked like he had gone through puberty again and it frustrated Will that his mouth had gone dry upon the sight of him. He was wearing a pristine suit that hugged his figure, his short hair was slicked back and his cheekbones were out of this world. He wasn’t attractive in school but he certainly was now. 

It felt like everything was going in slow motion as Hannibal scanned his eyes over Will. He was wearing his comfy clothes, and Will suddenly felt conscious about them as he didn’t look his best right now. Hannibal’s eyes twinkled when they made contact and he smiled. But it wasn’t a pleasant smile really, more of a knowing one as he probably thought back to what he did Will. 

“Well, well, well. Will Graham as I live and breathe. I never thought I would end up seeing you again, especially here.” His voice was lower than Will remembered. It was more sultry and it sent a shiver down his spine. 

“Neither did I.” He felt nervous under Hannibal’s gaze, not really knowing what to say. 

“As a timid little thing at school, you becoming a stripper has certainly surprised me, Will. You’ve… certainly grown and filled out. Is this where you’ve been since you left?” 

Will nodded, picking the skin beside his nails. “What about you, have you always been in Wolf Trap?” 

Hannibal chuckled. “Oh no. I’m well-travelled now. Went back to Europe to work and visit family. Went hitchhiking for a year. I’ve certainly seen a lot. You should try it sometime.” The comment was meant to be light-hearted but all Will wanted to do was roll his eyes. 

“Yeah. I would, but… money troubles. Some of us have them.” Hannibal nodded but didn’t have an inch of sympathy. 

“I understand. I guess you’ve been working a lot then? I hear you’re the favourite round here so I’ll definitely make a note not to keep you off for too long.” 

“I usually work 5 or 6 nights a week, any less and bills would probably get on top of me.” Will turned back to the dressing room table to try and start getting ready. “But just so you know, I’m not doing solo sessions with clients at the moment. Mark was fine with it.” 

Hannibal came closer to Will. “Was he? When it comes to the financial aspects of the club now that he's gone, surely that should be something I decide?” 

Will swallowed thickly, getting irritated already. “Something happened to me during a session a couple of years ago. I would like to, but I can’t bring myself to at the moment.” 

“Hm, I see. I’m sorry to hear that. It would be nice for you to put in that bit of extra effort in the name of the club, you know?” 

“If you call revisiting trauma “effort”, then I’m declining for now. Thanks.” 

Hannibal made a noise, probably mentally scoffing at him. “I can see we’re getting off to a great start, Will. I’m looking forward to working with you.” 

“As am I.” Will said, of course not meaning it. This was not the start he was hoping for and he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that it wouldn’t get any better. 

“I’ll be back once everyone is here with the schedule for tonight.” The tall man gave him a last once over and slinked out of the room. 

Will put his head in his hands. “Fuck.” He whispered. 

Abigail came in with a smile on her face. “Have you met the boss, Will? I bumped into him there, he seems lovely. Not bad looking either.” She wiggled her eyebrows playfully. 

“Unfortunately, I have.” Will grumbled. Is this how it was going to be? Hannibal singling him out and being all nice and encouraging to everyone else? 

“Oh stop, I’m sure he’ll be great.”

“That’s ‘cause you fancy him.” 

“And you don’t? Something would be wrong if you didn’t.” She was right, Hannibal was annoyingly good looking. He didn’t really want to bring up what a bully he was at school, it was another thing to keep buried. 

Hannibal dropped into the dressing room once everyone had arrived with a big smile plastered on his face. “Hello everyone, it’s a pleasure to meet you all. As we all know, Mark isn’t coming back due to personal reasons so I am your new boss, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do for Wet Wolf Trap. I’ve just got our schedule for tonight. Bella, you’ll be the opening act, show them what you’ve got. Will, you’ll be next.” 

“But I’m usually-” Will couldn’t get a word in. 

“Laura comes after and Abigail I’d like you to be the closing act - are you good with that? Make it big and snazzy.” 

“Thank you Hannibal, I’ve not had a chance to do the closing yet.” Abigail beamed. 

“I just thought it would be nice to switch things up a bit instead of sticking to things like Mark did. We all like a bit of change now and then, don’t we? No point in getting too comfortable.” He turned to look at Will, basically giving him a look that says “don’t complain about this.” “And you’re all okay with continuing with private shows with clients as well? Well, everyone apart from Mr Graham over here.” Oh, so he was going for the humiliation as well? 

“I have my reasons.” 

“As you said. The rent on this place is increasing, as well as major repairs needed, so I will be more conscious about how much money we’re bringing in. If we can hit our targets and do at least, say, 5 private shows per night we should be able to stay afloat for the moment. Does that sound okay?” The girls nodded their heads in unison, ready to work hard for their new boss. Will on the other hand, felt even less motivated, like Hannibal was sucking the soul out of him. The man left the room with a smile, eyeing up Will once again. 

“Look, Will, would you even consider trying out one private show? Just so you can start off on better terms with Hannibal?” Laura suggested, looking a bit worried for him. 

“I can’t, Laura. It makes me feel sick even thinking about it.” 

“I’m sorry, Will. I hope it gets better for you.” 

Will was anxious to get on stage so he could show Hannibal that he does in fact work hard and isn’t a slacker. And to show off the fact that he is no longer the timid, lanky Will that Hannibal teased and beat up in high school.

He went with a black latex thong, a skirt over the top complete with stockings and black heels. The bills would surely come flying with that on. 

Will’s name was called and he was more than ready to grace the stage. The crowd cheered for him as he approached the pole, scanning the room for Hannibal. He was standing to the side, in the darkness. 

He worked the pole with such ease, bending in ways that didn’t seem possible and flexing his toned upper body. The layer of sweat on him glistened under the lights and the hungry people in the audience were loving it. 

Will lifted up the skirt that was hardly covering him to show off his ass, shaking it for everyone to see. The bills drifted towards him. It was never as busy through the week, so he was always happy with what he got. Knowing Hannibal, he would probably have something to nitpick about it, but he was ready to defend himself. 

He pulled off his skirt and built up to ripping the thong off, teasing everyone by pulling it down slowly, looking over his shoulder and winking. Hannibal’s hungry eyes were on him, checking out every inch of his body. Will felt smug about it, but he didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing because of his current feelings towards Hannibal. 

His set ended with a loud cheer after spreading himself naked across the floor, amongst the money. When the lights went down he scrambled off the stage, grabbing a robe on the way to the toilet. 

Standing at the urinal, he heard the door swing open and out of all the urinals, the person had to pick the one beside Will. 

“You were good out there, Will. I can see why they like you.” Of course it was Hannibal. 

“Thanks.” Was he going to leave it at that?

“You move your body well and own that stage. But I feel like you’re disconnected from the crowd itself.” And there it is. 

Will tied up his robe again, turning to face Hannibal and crossing his arms. “Is that so?”

“Yes. I feel like you could bring more money in by focusing more on them. Going _into_ the crowd. Making them beg for it.” 

Will couldn’t believe he was hearing this. “Well, Hannibal, as someone who was assaulted, I’m not really comfortable with that right now. Can you get that into your head? Maybe think about my feelings too.” He went over to the sink, scrubbing on his hands as his mood went sour very quickly. 

“I get that, Will, I do. It’s just a suggestion. I’m thinking about the future of the club as well as I’ve seen that numbers have been declining and the state of this place is going downhill. I’m merely doing my job and I know you’re popular here.” Hannibal zipped himself up and joined Will at the sink. 

“So that’s what I am to you, just a hollow money maker? You know, I thought you would have matured since high school and learnt how to treat people with kindness, but I can see you’ve yet to do that.” Will yanked the bathroom door open and left Hannibal alone, his words still fresh in the air. 

After begrudgingly taking his earnings for the night from Hannibal and agreeing he’d be back tomorrow night, he had to take a breather in his car before driving home. Why did Hannibal have to be like this? He was definitely getting some sort of enjoyment out of winding Will up and he knew that he would crack someday. The question was, how long would it be before he did?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hannibal gets Will to do something he isn't really comfortable with. He believes it's a good idea when it's frankly the opposite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little teaser of smut and... more Hannibal being a twat. Poor Will. 
> 
> There's no sex during the thing Hannibal gets Will to do.  
> 

_Hannibal’s hands were on him, pinning him as he took Will’s cock into his mouth. He moaned at the sweet pleasure and heat, Hannibal’s tongue swirling around the head. Will was leaning against the wall thankfully, otherwise his legs would buckle. His hand made his way into Hannibal’s hair and slowly started thrusting into the wetness, revelling in how it felt._

_“Fuck. Let me ruin that mouth of yours.” Hannibal nodded in agreement and let Will thrust quicker, watching as the spit ran down his cheek. He was a sight to behold with his flushed face and hair flopping over his forehead. “That’s it.”_

_Will could feel he was close, his hips getting sloppy and letting the moans spill from his mouth. “So good, Hannibal. I’m gonna come, let me come in your mouth-”_

Will woke with a start, his heart racing and he could feel his cock straining against his boxers. Fuck. Then he suddenly tuned into the fact that his phone was ringing. When he checked, Hannibal’s name was across the screen. What did he want? Was he still dreaming?

“Hello?” 

“Hello, Will. Hope I didn’t wake you.” Well, he did, but he didn’t want to mention it. “Would you be able to come in an hour earlier today? I have a preposition for you.” 

“Uh, okay?” He didn’t have a clue what this meant, but didn’t want to make things between them even more difficult so it was easier to just agree. 

“You sound a bit unsure, but I have faith in my idea, I promise.” 

“Okay, I’ll see you at 8 then.” Then he hung up. He was a bit anxious, and then he was aware of his hard cock again. A sex dream about Hannibal? Really? This was not the image he wanted ingrained in his mind right now and he’d feel dirty giving into it. A cold shower was calling his name to calm down his erection. 

Under the spray of water, he cursed himself as his mind kept wandering back to the dream. The way Hannibal’s mouth felt around his cock, let him abuse his mouth. Will absentmindedly let a hand drift towards his cock, hissing at the contact. 

“Fuck’s sake.” He did not want to jerk off to the bully making his work-life hell, but he also needed that relief; to feel his body relax and become sated. Will stroked himself slowly, his other hand leaning against the wall. 

The warm steam shrouded him as he worked his arm quicker. He didn’t bother trying to think about something else and focused on the pleasure of dream-Hannibal’s mouth. It’s not as if it would ever reflect real life, right? He would deal with the shame later. 

His hips stuttered and he came on the shower wall, panting as he watched it quickly get washed away down the plug. Well, that was not how he planned to start the day. 

On the way to work, he started dreading it. Facing Hannibal was going to be awkward anyway considering his antics in the shower, but god knows what he had planned for him. Will hoped it wasn’t anything that would bring him closer to wanting to quit, because he was already drifting towards going through with it. If the targeting was going to be consistent, there was no way he could put up with the casual comments whilst everyone else fawned over him. 

Maybe he should tell them the truth; give them a warning about who Hannibal really is and what he can be capable of. 

He pushed the door open to the club hesitantly, expecting Hannibal to be waiting for him, watching the door but he wasn’t. Will presumed he was in his office then, so he made his way down the back corridor but came to meet him outside one of the private show rooms. 

“Hello Will. Would you care to come in?” He opened the door to the room, stretching an arm out to usher him inside. 

“Uh, sure.” Will was growing more uneasy by the second. 

They settled next to each other on the couch, Will picking the skin beside his nails again. 

“You’re probably wondering why I’ve asked you in early and brought you here.” 

“Yeah, you got that right.” Will huffed. 

“Well, I’ve been having some thoughts about how we could possibly ease you back into solo shows for clients, for the better of the club and to make you feel more comfortable here. I know it’s hard after what happened to you-” 

Will stood up, his blood already simmering. “You don’t know shit, Hannibal! I’ve had recurring nightmares because of it, panic attacks, the lot. I’m paranoid that someone else is going to take advantage of me, use me in ways that would haunt me like it did.” 

“I’m sorry that it happened to you, Will, I really am. We can do all that we can in the club to make everyone feel safe, such as extra security and more cameras, but without the extra money it isn’t possible right now. I never want anyone to feel uncomfortable here.” Will was surprised to hear some emotion in his voice. Was he actually sympathetic? 

“It’s not something I want to be pushed to do. I care about the club and it’s finances. I would hate to see it go down because the job market sucks right now as it is and I need the money.” 

“Then will you let me help you feel better about this? You have the potential to bring in more money which would help you with your bills and whatever else, and bring you some ease. Wouldn’t that be nice?” 

Will sighed. “Fine. But if I get even close to a panic attack I am out of here. And that’s that.” Hannibal nodded, agreeing that it was only fair. 

The man settled back into the couch, legs splayed open but still looking up at Will. “Take your time on this, if you like. Pretend that I’m one of your clients and show me what you would do.” 

Will’s mouth dropped open. “I’m sorry? Hannibal, you’re my boss.”

“Come on, Will. I’ve already seen plenty of you. This is nothing.” Hannibal looked smug. His suggestion was bold but he knew he would enjoy it if Will agreed. 

“This is far from nothing, Hannibal. What makes you think I want to do it?” 

“I’ve seen the way you look at me sometimes. I know how you feel.”

Will let out a loud laugh, covering his mouth because he found it that funny. “You really are so egotistical aren’t you? It’s all about “me, me, me”. No, I don’t find you attractive.” That was a lie, but he was never going to give Hannibal the pleasure of telling him. “I haven’t forgotten the constant teasing and beating at high school. You traumatised me, Hannibal. Never fucking forget that.” 

Hannibal sat in silence for a minute whilst he watched Will get himself in a tizzy over him. “Will, don’t be like that. I had my reasons, I know it was wrong. We’re both here together now, and should have moved on from that.” 

“Funny, that. I never actually got an apology from you.” Will stared and saw that Hannibal was growing agitated. 

“It was years ago. Look, just take my suggestion on board okay? And stop making this difficult for both of us.” 

Will was furious. “No. I will not take your _ridiculous_ suggestion on board. Go screw yourself.” Will was about to make his way for the door but Hannibal got to him quicker, placing a hand around his throat and pushing him against the wall. 

“You are really starting to push my buttons, boy.” Hannibal’s hot breath hit Will’s face as his eyes went wind. 

“What are you-” 

“I won’t ask you again. Do as I say, okay?” Will felt so nimble and small under Hannibal as the man looked down at him, their bodies in close proximity. There were a million things going through Will’s head. God, he should be scared and trying to push Hannibal off of him, but his body was betraying him. 

Why was his blood rushing south as he felt Hannibal’s strong hand around him? Fuck. Will submitted and nodded his head, panting when he was released from the grip. 

“There’s a good boy.” Hannibal settled on the couch again, with his legs spread and put some music on to get Will in the mood. 

Will suddenly felt so conscious of himself, could Hannibal tell what was going on in his pants? The man’s piercing stare cut through him, watching every move. He was like a deer in the headlights right now. 

“Come on Peaches & Cream, show me some action.” 

Fuck it, he may as well get this over with as soon as he could and then erase it from his mind completely. He started swaying to the music, feeling himself up and kept eye contact with Hannibal, but his own face was emotionless. He wasn’t going to give Hannibal that much. 

The bass was kicking in and Will slowly removed the comfy clothes he came to work in and Hannibal’s eyes strayed to his boxers. He wasn’t visibly hard, thankfully. 

It was humiliating, feeling the blush spread across his cheeks as he was forced against his will to dance for his boss. 

“Are you not going to touch me, Will?” Hannibal tilted his head slightly. He has switched things around and was ready to push Will’s buttons again. This was really a tug of war. Will didn’t say anything and approached him, still with no hint of emotion. 

He straddled Hannibal, gripping onto the man’s tie as he rolled his hips but didn’t make contact with the man. That would be too dangerous. Hannibal looked pretty pleased with himself, with his lap full of a beautiful boy. He placed his hands on Will’s thighs and he jolted slightly. “Don’t you dare put them anywhere near my junk.” Will hissed. 

“Shame.” Hannibal murmured. “You expect a client to enjoy this when you won’t even give them the full satisfaction of touching their cock?” 

“You are my fucking boss.” 

Will turned around and wiggled his ass, avoiding Hannibal’s crotch as much as he could. Hannibal had other ideas, gripping Will’s hips and pulling him in. 

“Stop.” Will grew uneasy as the man didn’t listen to him. Hannibal pulled him in further, seating him on his lap but Will’s breathing quickened and he felt far from uncomfortable right now. “I said fucking stop!” The panic inside him grew, breaking himself free from Hannibal’s grasp and he quickly gathered his clothes, not even looking at the man before he ran out the door. 

It was too much. He knew he shouldn’t have agreed in the first place. He was so close to having his first panic attack in a while and felt so nauseous. Will took a breather in the bathroom, staring at his pale reflection. He hated this and his weird conflicting emotions about Hannibal. His head was a mess. 

The door opened to reveal Hannibal, looking guilty. As he should, Will thought. 

“Will, I’m-” 

“I don’t even want to hear it. You went too far and that is that.” Will stared down at the sink that he had a tight grip on. 

“I know. I’m sorry. I was trying to help and got carried away.” 

“Oh, you did more than getting carried away. I nearly had a fucking panic attack, Hannibal. That is not okay. And now you see why I can’t go back to doing private shows at the moment. I’m a mess. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready for tonight, even if I am now anxiety-ridden.” He didn’t want Hannibal to see, but there were tears in his eyes. 

Will pushed passed Hannibal to get out of the bathroom. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard another weak “sorry” come from Hannibal. He shrugged it off. The man would have to do more than that to gain his trust. 

The shift was a blur for him really. He didn’t tell anyone what happened between him and Hannibal, putting on a fake smile for the night. He was distant with the audience, Hannibal could tell, watching from the sidelines. The man did feel guilty for what he did to Will earlier, his feelings were all over the place. 

Will took his earnings for the night with nothing more than a sneer and quickly exited the building before Hannibal could even get a word in. He wanted to try and settle things between him and Will before it got worse. 

Will was never so forgiving though.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions are running high between them. Will's head is all over the place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was convinced my motivation for writing this fic had diminished but I scraped my way through this! I've just been feeling really unproductive lately so please bear with me, I will get this completed at some point!

Will was more than thankful that he had the next two days off. After the fiasco with Hannibal, he couldn’t think about facing him without his stomach churning and blood boiling, so it was good to take a breather from him. 

He wasn’t going to do anything apart from visit his mom, eat copious amounts of junk and perhaps drown his feelings in alcohol. It was an idea that tempted him a lot right now, although he always got out of hand with the drink and ended up doing regrettable things. 

Visiting his mom wasn’t the trip he’d hoped it to be. She seemed well the last time he turned up to the hospital, but the doctors informed her she had been sleeping a lot more lately and not showing a lot of signs of movement. He left her more gifts at her bedside table and spent some time with her as she slept, holding her hand and telling her about his work antics, however not mentioning. 

It put a downer on the rest of his day, seeing his mom in that state with no encouraging signs. The vodka was all the more tempting right now. 

Will ordered the greasiest pizza he could find and lay almost horizontal on his couch with the pizza box balanced on his stomach. To his left he had the strongest vodka and coke he could pour, sipping it through a straw and wincing at the burn in his throat, but it was a good burn. 

His mind wandered to Hannibal again. There was anger inside him, but also a curiosity for the man. Will knew that there were leftover feelings from their past which spurred the tension between them, but Will couldn’t help but think that there was something else between them. 

He was angry at himself for feeling anything but hatred towards Hannibal, after everything he’s done to him and the treatment he has received right now. Will did get a weird feeling in his stomach when he saw or spoke to him, something that wasn’t negative. 

Will also took in how Hannibal observed him; the lingering looks, that dark hunger he had when Will was alone with him in the private room, the regret in his voice after he pushed him too far. Regret wasn’t something that Hannibal was familiar with at school, so this was definitely new. 

After drinking too much too quickly, his head was buzzing with warmth and thoughts, his hand straying towards his phone. Should he? His finger was selecting Hannibal’s number before his brain caught up, and then the phone was ringing. Hannibal answered on the second ring. 

“Hello Will.” His voice was deep and smooth, going right through Will. 

“Hannibal.” He was too obvious, the word slurring as it came out of his mouth. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

“You irritate me so much.” 

A chuckle was heard in Will’s ear. “Are you drunk, Will?” 

“No I- I’ve just had a couple.” 

“Good to know one of us is having a good time. What was that? I irritate you so much?” There was a smile in his voice, Will was sure of it. 

“You just swanned into my workplace, got everyone’s approval, made me feel like shit and got me to do something that I was uncomfortable about from the beginning. I don’t trust you, Hannibal and it’s gonna take a lot for you to convince me otherwise.” 

“Will, you’ve had too much to drink. Go to bed and sleep it off.” 

“And you know what? As a kid, I spent so much time hiding the bruises you gave me, making sure my mom never found out and crying myself to sleep most nights. Sometimes I even cut myself and although you haven’t seen them, I do still have some scars to prove it. You caused me hell, Hannibal. Hell.” 

“Will-” The conversation turned sour very quickly, but the words just kept on coming. 

“You drive me mad. I should really only despise you for everything you’ve done to me.” 

“You don’t?” Hannibal was hanging onto his words now. 

“I don’t know what it is. I feel weird even talking to you right now. I’ve… had thoughts about you that I sure as hell wish I hadn’t had. Why am I even telling you this?” 

“Like I said… you should go to bed.” Hannibal didn’t sound like he wanted him to go, though. 

Will took another large swig of his drink. “I will.” They lingered, listening to each other’s breaths. 

“I had a dream about you. Your mouth was on me.” Will knew he was so going to regret this in the morning. “I woke up hard and couldn’t get it out of my mind until I got off in the shower. There. I said it. Happy?” 

“I didn’t ask you to tell me this. But I’m glad that you did. Thank you for sharing, Will.” God, he was going to be so smug about this for the foreseeable future. 

“This doesn’t mean anything though. I still don’t forgive you.” Will gritted his teeth, already anticipating what Hannibal was going to do with that information. 

“Message received. Goodnight, Will. Enjoy your hangover.” Will’s phone beeped to signify Hannibal had ended the call. 

“Fuck.” He muttered to himself. 

Will managed to drag himself to bed and woke up to a stream of sunlight beaming onto his face. He groaned as he immediately felt a pounding headache behind his eyes and his throat felt like sandpaper. It didn’t take long for the realisation and regret of what he told Hannibal last night. 

He felt like a complete and utter idiot, showing Hannibal any sort of feelings that weren’t negative. What was he supposed to have taken from that apart from the fact Will basically admitted he fancies Hannibal and has sex dreams about him? 

He leaned over to pick up his phone and saw that Hannibal had texted him. Fucking hell. 

Thank you for that entertainment last night. 

Entertainment? So either he wasn’t taking it as seriously as Will thought, or he was planning to wind him up now. He hoped it wasn’t the latter. 

Just so you know, I definitely had one vodka too many. Ignore anything I said. 

A couple of minutes later, his phone pinged. 

Ignore it? How can we possibly let that slide, Will?

Will threw his phone to the opposite side of his bed. Fuck it. He would have to say something when he went back to work tomorrow. He was definitely not going to let Hannibal come onto him in any way possible, he wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. He turned his phone on airplane mode for the rest of the day in case Hannibal tried to get in touch again. 

Going into work, he rushed to the dressing room to avoid any confrontation with Hannibal. But he must’ve heard him come in because it wasn’t long before the door opened. No one else had arrived yet, thankfully. 

“I hope your hangover wasn’t too bad yesterday.” 

“Enough for me to sleep all day thanks to the lovely headache.” Will opened his makeup bag to start applying his foundation and contour - he always had to accentuate the jaw and cheekbones that drove people crazy. 

“Are we going to talk about what you said?” Obviously Hannibal didn’t understand his message. 

“Look Hannibal, I said to ignore it, okay? We all say stupid things when we’re drunk, that being one of them.” 

“You know what they say, “A drunken man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts”. What you told me wasn’t a lie, was it?”

Will sighed. “Do you get off on this? Probing my brain? If I say yes, will you leave me the fuck alone? It isn’t going to lead to anything.” 

Hannibal brought a hand to his heart, pretending to be hurt. “Oh, Will, you should be nicer with your words. That really got me.” Will rolled his eyes when he saw him smirking. “But as it stands, I like the thought of you coming whilst thinking about me. That gives me great satisfaction.” 

“Well it shouldn’t. I will never let you touch me in that way.” 

“Fair enough. I expect a good show tonight.” Hannibal slinked out of the room without another word. 

It was unintentional, but Will brought a flask of vodka to work and had more than he probably should’ve. It was to help him dull the frustration at Hannibal and forget anything he said to him. He got carried away, his vision getting blurred and his balance wasn’t up to scratch. 

The girl’s on shift that night were concerned, but nothing they said could convince him to try and quickly sober up. 

“Hannibal is going to be absolutely furious.” 

“Abigail’s right, you’re being careless here, Will.” Laura piped in. 

“Yeah, well, I’m an adult and I can do what I want.” He knew he was being bratty about this, but at that moment in time he didn’t care about the consequences. 

He strutted onto the stage, trying to suppress the fact he was drunk and not make the crowd or Hannibal aware of it, but it was harder than it seemed. 

Spinning around the pole made him feel worse and he felt the churn of his stomach, so he stuck to poorly walking around the stage, touching himself all over and splaying across the floor. 

He just knew Hannibal would be at the back turning red, probably thinking Will was trying to sabotage the club’s income. The crowd were less enthusiastic, which was no surprise but Will felt angry at them, more than at himself. 

By the end of his set, he had sobered up a bit and quickly escaped off the stage to avoid the shame and ran into the toilet. Looking at himself in the mirror, his eyes were bloodshot and generally looked exhausted. Usually he’d have a glow, albeit sweaty when he finished but right now he just looked like a mess. Disappointment was etched at the bottom of his stomach. 

The next thing he knew, Hannibal barged his way into the bathroom to confront Will. He came so close to him that Will could smell his expensive aftershave and he wished he didn’t like it so much. 

“Did you think that was funny?” 

“Nothing like loosening up before a set than with a couple of drinks.” 

Hannibal laughed, but it was bitter-sounding. “Do you realise what a state you looked like up there? Stumbling around and making a mockery of yourself? You embarrassed me and the club itself and you don’t even look sorry about it.” 

“Oh, well, excuse me for messing up one time. I got carried away, fucking sue me! My head is a minefield right now, and thought it would do me some good.” Will turned to face Hannibal, breathing loudly. Their faces were too close to each other for comfort. 

“Your behaviour has been out of line. I should really give you a disciplinary at least. I’m not gonna have you lose us customers.” 

“I’m the best that you’ve got. They love me out there. Fine, give me a punishment, but you know you can’t fire me without impacting the club’s income.” Will was too smug about this and it seemingly riled Hannibal up a lot. 

In a flash, Hannibal was pushing Will against the wall opposite them and he almost let out a snarl. “You’re so cocky and you’re not even ashamed to hide it. You think you’d be irreplaceable? I bet there are a load of men out there willing to get their big dicks and abs out for randy old men. Don’t you think?” His hands were pinning Will’s shoulders to the wall. 

The last time Hannibal did this to him, he was feeling panicky and overwhelmed, but right now was a different story. His head was still buzzing from the alcohol and he felt warm all over. 

“You enjoy watching me up there too much. You probably get hard every time I whip my cock out. Am I wrong?” 

“I’m the one who gets hard?” Hannibal shoved a leg in between Will’s open ones, pressing against the robe he had on, but he was naked underneath. “Who was the one who had the sex dream about us and jerked off? I bet even right now you’re turned on.” 

Will was flushed. Looking at Hannibal’s face up close made him realise he really was far too good looking. The cheekbones that looked like they could cut glass and the hair that softly dangled in front of his forehead. He’d like to put his hands through it. 

He shook himself from those thoughts, shame washing over him. Hannibal’s knee pressed into his crotch and he did his best not to let out any sound. His blood was definitely rushing south. 

Will tried to play it off cooly. “I’m a man with a strong libido, what can I say?” 

Hannibal leaned in, softly brushing his lips up Will’s neck before whispering in his ear, “You’d love it if I just fucked you right here, right now, wouldn’t you? Like a big slut.” 

Will was stunned. Where did that come from? His throat went dry and he was definitely hard now, his robe not concealing very much. Before Will could even reply, the contact against his crotch was gone and Will almost whined. 

“Lusting after a man you supposedly can’t stand? Very bold of you.” Hannibal smirked and left the bathroom, leaving Will in a hazed state with his cock still hard. This didn’t help in making his mind up about how he felt about Hannibal. His cock betrayed him but having Hannibal pressed against him felt so good. 

This whole thing was a mess.


End file.
